Housing

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan duo of House lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would push Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to engage in more credit risk-sharing transactions.

WASHINGTON — Development on the Common Securitization Platform has reached a point where Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be able to issue a uniform mortgage-backed security sometime in 2018, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Thursday.

Although he has since walked back his original pledge to deport 11 million people, if President-elect Donald Trump attempts to fulfill his campaign promise, the damage to the housing industry would be substantial.

While the designation of the retired neuroscientist Ben Carson to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development appears to be an unusual choice, lenders are hoping he can bring a fresh perspective to the industry.

Ben Carson accepted Donald Trump's offer to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a statement from the president-elect's transition office Monday.

Privatizing the government-sponsored enterprises is a priority for Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin. Here's a look at what it will take to pull off and the potential implications for the mortgage industry of unwinding the conservatorship.

WASHINGTON – The debate over housing finance reform appears to have new life as both Democrats and the next administration appear ready to take up the issue.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin's plan to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control could mean increased competition for lenders' loans. But it could also prompt a rise in mortgage rates.

John Allison, a contender for President-elect Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary, is a staunch opponent of the Federal Reserve Board, the Basel international accords, the government’s support of the housing finance industry and the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.

The Federal Communications Commission has denied a request to exempt servicers from getting consent before robo-calling borrowers' mobile phones, rejecting arguments that the waiver would enable the mortgage industry to better help delinquent borrowers.

Two consumer advocacy groups in California have accused CIT Group's OneWest Bank of failing to provide mortgages and other financial services in minority neighborhoods.

The Home Equity Mortgage Conversion program experienced a huge swing in its net worth during the fiscal 2016 year, plummeting from a value of $6.8 billion in fiscal 2015 to negative $7.7 billion.

As the Justice Department winds down its Mortgage Fraud Task Force and a new administration prepares to enter the White House, the number of False Claims Act cases brought against Federal Housing Administration lenders is expected to dwindle.

The Federal Housing Administration's insurance fund saw its fourth consecutive annual boost in its ratio of reserves to insured mortgages, reaching 2.32% in fiscal year 2016, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said Tuesday.

The president-elect faces major questions about credit access, affordable housing, the future of Dodd-Frank, and the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the extent to which he will act upon them remains unclear.

Facebook has disabled so-called ethnic affinity filters from housing, credit and employment advertising following mounting criticism that the practice allowed marketers to discriminate against minorities in violation of fair housing and civil rights laws.

Industry forecasts for 2017 mortgage volume assumed a continuation of current housing and economic policies under a Hillary Clinton administration. But with Donald Trump's win, analysts are sorting out what, if any, adjustments are needed to those projections.

Officials of the National Association of Realtors were ecstatic about the Federal Housing Administration's lower owner-resident requirements for condo loans – until they read the fine print.

A community banker on the president-elect's economic advisory council says none of his tax reforms target the mortgage interest deduction.

The historic election has presented an opportunity for a comprehensive overhaul of the housing finance system after eight years of gridlock.